Walt Disney World’s Skyliner Gondola System Reopens Days After Accident That Left Guests Stranded For Hours
Walt Disney World‘s Skyliner gondola system has reopened to guests, days after an accident left some passengers stranded in the air for hours, USA Today reports. However, the system is reopened with a modified operating schedule, and it remains unclear when, or even if, the system will be open at its original, full schedule.
The Skyliner system transports guests from certain locations within the Florida resort to other locations on the property. Unlike the resort’s bus system, it is not comprehensive, in that not every theme park, water park, and resort hotel on the property is connected to a line. Rather, the system is in place only at certain locations within the resort, such as between the Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.
It opened a couple of weeks ago with little fanfare; that’s not surprising, considering that it’s a part of the transportation system and not a new attraction or a new section of a theme park. And though crowds were thin on opening day, those guests who rode the attraction had nothing but rave reviews about it, praising the smooth ride and the birds-eye view of the resort.
Unfortunately, days after the system opened, it suffered an embarrassing breakdown.
As reported at the time by The Inquisitr, on the night of October 4, the system suffered a malfunction while guests were on board. Some passengers were stuck in the upper reaches of the tallest points of the system for several hours. One passenger, Chris Edenfield, said that he was riding one of the cars with access for disabled passengers, along with his disabled mother. Overcome by the stifling heat (the cabins are not climate-controlled, and there is, of course, no breeze when the vehicles are still), his mother vomited, and Edenfield was forced to open the vehicle’s on-board emergency kit to get water.
After a few days having the system completely shut off, the resort began testing the machines again — without passengers — for a couple of days. Now, the system has reopened and guests are allowed to ride it again.
“Following a complete review with the manufacturer, we’ve made adjustments to our processes and training, and we are improving how we communicate with guests during their flight with Disney Skyliner,” said Thomas Smith, editorial content director at Disney Parks.
However, that’s not to say that the full system is up and running, nor is it at a full schedule. For now, the system will only operate from 1:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and the Disney’s Hollywood Studios line will be closed on Wednesday.
